Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

“Oh.”

There are so many people!

Finally, on the day the Elite Dungeon of the third area, ‘Demon Lord’s Forward Base’, opens, people were flocking in droves.

The number of people gathered at the entrance of the Demon Lord’s Forward Base, located in a wide rocky valley, easily exceeded several hundred.

Almost all the initial dungeon strategy team from the Korean server of Astria Online had assembled.

Surely, this is just the beginning. Those who formed parties on the spot will soon join, and latecomers will start arriving before long.

That means the time for us to harvest the sweet rewards after an initial clear has shrunk.

But since I’m synced at 100% with the same starting point, I should have the advantage.

Although I had some doubts about whether I should use my senses and combat experience as a hero in a place like this, it was mostly the fault of the gods.

I had resigned myself in despair and claimed not to need anything, but they should’ve taken better care of me.

At least send me back in one piece.

Dori dori.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts that had momentarily emerged.

It’s better not to think about the past. It’ll just make me gloomy.

Still, since I started playing Astria Online, I’ve been able to laugh more often.

I felt like I had returned to being a child, enjoying this world.

Just as it’s set in the game, in front of me stands a forward base of the Demon Lord’s army, which intends to invade the Continent of Astria.

As a hero, I can’t just pass by without noticing it.

This time, I hadn’t reduced my sleep to level up and had taken enough breaks.

I wouldn’t simply collapse after clearing the dungeon.

Peek peek.

I carefully poked my head out from behind the pile of stones and looked at the entrance of the forward base.

There are many people at the entrance of that dungeon.

If I, being small in stature, wander around without a party, I might draw attention.

It would be better to wait until most of them have gone in before making my entrance.

As I was scanning the surroundings, a tall woman with red hair caught my eye.

“Oh.”

Sister Chris.

She stood confidently before the sealed magical circle, wearing a smile full of assurance.

To Chris’s right was a pink-haired female wizard.

That wizard was petite, but still taller than me.

To her left stood a muscular man with brown hair.

I felt like I had seen his profile somewhere, but it was probably just my imagination.

And a tall man with black hair stood slightly behind the party.

With arms crossed and eyes gently closed, he exuded an aura of intensity that indicated he was a fighter.

Though his gauntlets weren’t visible, fighters often carried themselves like that.

“What a splendid combination of a four-person party.”

They must have navigated the Elite Dungeon effectively as vanguards.

While I was observing Chris’s party members, I briefly turned on the region announcement that I always kept off.

I needed to check the remaining time until the Elite Dungeon opened.

[Level 30 Elite Dungeon, ‘Demon Lord’s Forward Base’ opens in 10 minutes]

After confirming the time, I promptly turned the announcement off again. Just combat announcements were enough for me.

Ten minutes dragged on slowly.

I continued to hide behind the pile of stones, peeking out to watch the people.

And finally.

Wuuuuuuung.

The magical circle at the entrance resonated loudly, and the seal barrier dissipated.

“Dungeon is now open!”

“Have you all prepared well? Let’s get started!”

The parties clustered at the entrance began to disappear one by one. Each was entering their own instance dungeon.

Soon, Chris, whom I had been watching until the end, vanished from sight.

The throngs of users disappeared in an instant, leaving only a few remaining at the entrance of the forward base.

Scurry scurry.

I quickly approached the dungeon entrance and jumped in.

[Entry Level: 30]

[Elite Dungeon (4-person party recommended)]

[Demon Lord’s Forward Base]

*

As I passed through the area where the seal of the magical circle had been released, the remaining users around me vanished. I had entered the instance dungeon field.

Soon, before my eyes, the grand sight of a fortress unfolded.

Thump thump.

I confidently approached the fortress and looked around. Then I tilted my head.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t unreasonable that I voiced my confusion out loud.

Here I was, in front of a fortress named the Demon Lord’s Forward Base, yet no one could be seen.

Should I ask, “Is anyone here?”

“Hmm…”

I stroked my chin and paced around the entrance of the fortress a few times.

As if welcoming the users challenging the dungeon, the fortress gates stood wide open.

I gently smiled.

This must be a trap.

If I went in through the front, a massive number of demons and monsters would greet me in grand fashion.

It was the game’s strategy to exhaust the users before a named fight occurred.

Surely there would be a ‘shortcut’ allowing rapid access to the named area if structured like this.

As I walked along the fortress wall, I soon discovered a hole large enough for one person to enter.

The walls were poorly constructed, as expected.

Being a forward base, it was likely hastily built.

I crouched low and carefully squeezed through the gap in the wall.

As I emerged, I quietly grumbled, “This reminds me of old times.”

Back in the day, the role of a hero party wasn’t just about fighting at the forefront.

When taking down demon lords within occupied territories, we would sneak in like this.

It was a route I could recognize due to familiarity.

And finally, as I raised my body, the scene before my eyes unfolded.

A military encampment?

“Oh.”

The internal landscape of the fortress seemed like a wide military base surrounded by flimsy walls.

Perhaps they trusted in the magical circle that enveloped the entire forward base, as there were no external guards at all.

However, the internal perimeter was sure enough, with demon guards patrolling around.

It struck me as somewhat amusing.

No one was on the walls, but what were they guarding against those already inside the fortress?

If it weren’t for the instance dungeon settings, this poorly constructed forward base could have been quickly overrun by users.

“Well, it might not be that strange after all.”

The demons of the Continent of Astria seemed to act recklessly, trusting in their own flesh and power.

They lacked tactics or strategy and simply attacked relying on the firepower of their commanding demons.

Now it was time for stealth action.

Though they were called guards, since they resembled humans but had horns, they seemed to be a critical force capable of using magic. They likely didn’t assign such duties to amateurs.

I just needed to stay out of their line of sight. If I got detected, a tiring fight would ensue.

The crates piled around me provided good cover.

Sneak sneak.

Whoosh.

A demon guard passed by, just a crate away. Thankfully, I seemed to have gone unnoticed.

If this were a four-person party, using the shortcuts wouldn’t be easy.

I cautiously moved between the crates, approaching a large tent.

Beyond a certain point, the guards were no longer visible.

I raised my lowered body and looked at the tent in front of me.

“Oh.”

It seemed to scream, “There’s a boss here!” in comparison to the other smaller tents.

There must be a named enemy inside.

Guards were nowhere to be seen near the large tent, surrounded by smaller ones.

In games where you clear from the first floor, you often wonder, “Why hasn’t anyone from the second floor come down amidst all this racket?”

That was all just game mechanics.

Anyway, I was glad I could focus solely on the named enemy. During battles, they might summon some minions, but…

Step step.

I entered the tent with cautious steps.

Immediately, in front of me sat a male demon with large horns on his head.

He was around the height of a human adult male.

With blue skin.

His body was covered in strong muscles.

He rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

Compared to ‘The Sealed Demon’ from the last Elite Dungeon, this demon might appear somewhat unimpressive at first glance.

Yet the overwhelming power contained within him was clearly displayed through his HP.

That figure was 3,000,000.

Beep.

Upon entering the tent, I naturally stepped into his line of perception.

The demon who had been sitting with eyes closed now opened them and looked directly at me.

His lips curled up, and his voice flowed out.

“What are the guards doing? A human rat has sneaked in. Even in this era where the lineage of heroes has been severed, there are still those who dare to oppose the Demon Lord’s army.”

Wow, the AI technology is impressive.

He can recognize I came in alone.

Moreover, he’s a named enemy capable of conversing.

What should I say to him?

“Hand over your accessories, and I won’t take your life,” might do the trick?

Wuuuuung.

It seemed he had no intention of waiting while I pondered how to open dialogue, as a tremendous force began to gather around him.

“It’s a good thing you came just when I was getting bored. Your life will announce to this land that the Demon Lord’s army has arrived.”

Gu gu gu gu.

The tent shook. The boss battle begins.

I quickly drew my sword.

Fwoosh!

“Ugh!”

A sudden fierce wind hit. I lowered my body to resist it.

Boom boom boom boom!

A powerful shockwave emanated from him, tearing apart the entire tent.

The sky became visible.

I stared blankly at the gaping hole that was once the tent.

If it was going to be like this right from the start of the boss fight, then why even build the tent?

Tat tat tat!

From the smaller tents around, demon elite troopers rushed out and joined the named enemy.

There were four of them.

“Eek!”

I leaped on the spot in a panic.

Another named enemy with minions right from the start.

“Kakakaka!”

His body, engulfed in ominous magical energy, rushed towards me at incredible speed.

[Level 1 Named Enemy]

[Sub-commander Craksas of the Forward Base]

[HP 3,000,000/3,000,000]

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